Carnival rides in movie "She Freak"

CoasterDemon

Friday, February 3, 2012 7:07 PM

What a great movie! I highly recommend.

There are so many great old rides. 2 double ferris wheels and 4 wheels right next to each other! I've never seen that. There is also a small Miler steel coaster and if you can catch it, a Wild Mouse. They also have scenes where they are putting together and taking apart the rides. I think the movie is from 1967. Very cool stuff!

Mike Gallagher

Friday, February 3, 2012 8:59 PM

I just looked for it on Netflix and read the plot description. I didn't know Browning's FREAKS from 1932 ( a favorite of mine, and you'll know the Ramones connection, Billy) was re-made (unofficially, I'm sure)

The amusement park rises bold and stark..kids are huddled on the beach in a mist

Cropsey

Saturday, February 4, 2012 2:43 AM

It's definitely not a remake of Freaks but an excellent trash classic! CoasterDemon, I've not seen it in several years but it needs a revisit!

We watched Carnival Of Blood the other weekend. Awesome, sleazy NYC salute to the H.G. Lewis gore flicks that's a lot of fun. Most of it was filmed at Coney Island around 1970 so very cool get a look at some of the old rides there. A couple of good views of Thunderbolt and a few partial rides on Spook-o-Rama. Burt Young from the Rocky films also has an early role.

Tom Keener

Saturday, February 4, 2012 2:01 PM

From your description the carnival could have been Royal American Shows. They had the double double Sky Wheels (shared a tower between them). For a number of years they also featured four Ferris Wheels side by side with signage between them. This was probably phased out when they started carrying a Giant Seattle Wheel. At one time they featured a Miler coaster that was a bit larger than the standard kiddie coaster. It was billed as "The World's Largest Portable Roller Coaster". They also had a Miler Wild Mouse. Sadly the carnival no longer exists.

Tom Keener

LostKause

Sunday, February 5, 2012 11:43 AM

I'm not going to begin a new topic for this...

I just watched "Little Fugitive" on Netflix instant this morning. Most of the film takes place at Coney Island in the early 1950s. It is a very cute and artistic movie that I have enjoyed over the years. I first saw it on AMC about 20 years ago.

You see some great shots of the CI Cyclone in the background, as well as Wonder Wheel and other various classic rides. The Parachute Drop is featured towards the end of the movie.

The entire film gives a great look into NYC life in the 1950s, as well as how Coney Island operated back then. Not only is it interesting because of the historical amusement park aspect, but also because of the artistic shots that take place. I get a sense of what the excitement of 1950s Coney Island would have been like from a seven-year-old's perspective.

LostKause

Okay. The 2006 remake of Little Fugitive is on Netflix Instant as well as the 1953 version. The profanity, drugs, alcohol, and violence make it very different that the move it is a remake of.

This new version has a few monologues about the history of Coney Island, which should really be interesting to some of us here. Mirroring that, there is a scene in the movie in which most roller coaster enthusiasts will despise involving the Coney Island Cyclone. Will they end the movie there? Nope.

If you like dark, gritty indie movies in which children have a really tough life and every adult is either abusive or neglectful (some are not so obvious), see the newer one. If you like lighthearted movies where the worst thing that could happen is that a kid runs out of money for pony rides, see the earlier version. If you like both, of course see both.

I don't fault the filmmaker for the drastic change from one film to another though, because it is apparent that mankind is living in a very different world then we were fifty years ago. Adult strangers can't be characters in a child's story these days without it feeling weird. The old days were so innocent and playful.

Little Fugitive 1953 - A+, and probably my favorite old movie.

Little Fugitive 2006 - C-, because of the terrible last act, and the terrible ending. The good acting interesting Coney Island setting saved this movie from getting an F from me.